This research study examined the effect of origami-based geometry instruction on spatial visualization, geometry achievement, and geometric reasoning of tenth-grade students in Turkey. The sample ("n" = 184) was chosen from a tenth-grade population of a public high school in Turkey. It was a quasi-experimental pretest/posttest design. A…

Scientific models and modeling play an important role in science, and students' understanding of scientific models is essential for their understanding of scientific concepts. The measurement instrument of "Students' Understanding of Models in Science" (SUMS), developed by Treagust, Chittleborough & Mamiala…

The purpose of the current study was to examine the nature of the relationship between learners' distrust of scientific models that represent unseen entities and phenomena, their spatial ability, and the vividness of their mental images. The sample consisted of 302 tenth grade students in the Sultanate of Oman. Three measures were used for this…

The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of students' motivational beliefs (learning goal orientation, task value and self-efficacy) in science learning on students' self-regulation in the science classroom. The study also examines the moderating effect of gender on the proposed relationships. Data were collected from 719 boys…

Whereas there are some studies presenting the effects of argumentation on science knowledge development, there is still a need for research discovering the interrelationship between knowledge and argumentation. The purpose of this research was to investigate a possible relationship between students' engagement in argumentation and their conceptual…

This study presents the results of an analysis of high school chemistry textbooks and teacher-generated questions about gas laws. The materials that were analyzed consisted of 456 questions about gas laws found in seven grade 10 chemistry textbooks and 264 teacher-generated examination questions prepared by seven chemistry teachers from three…

This study describes the development and validation of a Greek-language instrument that can be used to assess grade 10 students' perceptions of their chemistry classroom environment as a means of showing differences between chemistry learning environments in Greece (Attica) and Cyprus. The development of the instrument was based on available…

The research reported here consists of the introduction of an intervention based on a series of laboratory activities combined with concept mapping. The purpose of this intervention was to enhance student understanding of acid-base chemistry for tenth grade students' from two classes in a Turkish high school. An additional aim was to enhance…

The present study investigates whether Chinese high-school students are self-regulated learners. A social-cognitive model that distinguishes environmental, motivational, and cognitive components of this active approach to learning is described. This provides an appropriate framework for investigating this complex issue with eighth and tenth…

The research reported in this case study explores the understanding of stoichiometry and related concepts of Thai science students in grades 10 and 11 after major national curriculum reforms. Students' conceptions and alternative conceptions were investigated using a questionnaire--the "Stoichiometry Concept Questionnaire" (SCQ) (N = 97), which…

In this work, we propose to identify the knowledge that Tunisian grade 10 students build up concerning acids and bases. Thus, after learning, we have proceeded by giving a paper and pencil task to students of two levels of teaching. The results obtained allow us to say that the assimilated knowledge is transitory; that the students have a worse…

A model of reading comprehension of geometric proofs (RCGP) has recently been proposed by the authors. This article further investigates students' development of such comprehension based on this model, looking at the relationship between students' reading comprehension and their prior knowledge and logical reasoning. The results show that (1)…

Research on conceptual change is still a powerful framework for empirical investigations on students' learning of science. During recent years, an increasing body of research has explored students' concepts prior and subsequent to instruction, leading to an extensive documentation of students' concepts including the difficulties and opportunities…

This study reports on research examining what students think about aspects of solution chemistry and seeks to establish what alternative conceptions they hold in this area. To achieve this aim the researchers developed a test comprising of open-ended questions that evaluated students understanding of solution chemistry. The test was administered…